NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt is picked to win the Southeastern Conference in 2019, as announced Tuesday by D1Baseball.com. Additionally, several Commodore student-athletes were listed as top prospects for their respective MLB Draft year.
The Commodores, who are the publication’s preseason top-ranked team, are the early favorite to win the league. Florida is picked to finish second in the SEC East, while LSU and Ole Miss are chosen to finish atop the SEC West, respectively.
One season after a national-best 10 teams reached the NCAA Tournament, D1Baseball projects the league to replicate the feat. Those 10 teams for 2019 are Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
Meanwhile, 14 student-athletes were named top SEC prospects for their respective MLB draft-eligible year. Outfielder JJ Bleday was recognized as the league’s No. 3 prospect for the 2019 draft. The junior was among seven Commodores on the list.
Sophomore Austin Martin headlined the 2020 draft for the Commodores, coming in at No. 20, D1Baseball. Right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker was picked as the conference’s No. 3 prospect among a top-30 list for the 2021 draft.
The Commodores, who return eight of nine positional players, open the season on Feb. 15 in Talking Stick, Arizona. The squad will face Virginia, Cal State Fullerton and TCU before returning to Hawkins Field for the home opener on Feb. 20 against Evansville.
SEC Top Prospects, 2019 Draft
3. JJ Bleday, OF
19. Zach King, LHP
21. Jackson Gillis, LHP
26. Pat DeMarco, OF
27. Drake Fellows, RHP
33. Philip Clarke, C
50. Ethan Paul, SS
SEC Top Prospects, 2020 Draft
20. Austin Martin, 3B
21. Jake Eder, LHP
27. Hugh Fisher, LHP
44. Jayson Gonzalez, 3B
49. Mason Hickman, RHP
SEC Top Prospects, 2021 Draft
3. Kumar Rocker, RHP
29. Austin Becker, RHP
